Improvement in harvesters



3 SheetsSheet2. J. WERNER, Jr.

HARVESTER. No.183,730. Patented on. 24. 1876.

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N ,183,7'3Q Patented Oct.24,1876.

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NPEIERS. PHOTO-UYHOGRAPHE-R, WASHINGTON L c UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN WERNER, JR, OF PRAIRIE DU SAC, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Speeificationforming part of Letters Patent No. 183,730, dated October24, 1876; application filed June 8, 1876.

the reel-support and adjusting mechanism;.

Figs. 4, 5, and 8, detail views, showing the method of supporting themain frame upon the carrying-wheel; Fig. 6, a plan view of the grainplatform and carrier, a portion of the platform being broken away; Fig.7, a section view taken on the line a: w, Fig. 6; and Figs. 9 and 10,detail views of adjusting attachments on the grain end of the machine.

My invention relates, first, to devices for supporting and adjusting themain frame upon the main supporting-wheel at the stubble end 1 of themachine, second, to devices for adjusting the reel both vertically andhorizontally; third, to an improvement in the construction. of thegrain: platform and conveyer, consisting in the combination of a slottedplatform, carrying-chains, sprocket-wheels, and slats attached to thechains.

I have shown my invention applied to a harvesting-machine,- on which itis intended the grain shall be bound by persons riding on the machine.The main featuresof the ma chine may be of any ordinary construction,and need not be described here, as their construction is well known.Only those parts of the-machine which embody improvements will be fullydescribed in this specification.

In the drawings, A represents the main frame of the harvester, and B themain supporting or drive wheel. Curved supportingstandards a areattached to the transverse bars of the main frame: at the stubble sideof the machine. These supports are constructed with. a wide groove upontheir inner faces, within which is a circular rack or cogged segment, asclearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Thewheel. Bis mounted looselyupon an axle, b, and upon each end of this axle is rigidly fastened atoothed pinion, b, which engage with the racks on the post a, and travelup and down in the grooves in said supporting-posts. The outer end ofthe hub of the wheel is finished with a square piece or nut, and theinner face of the outer pinion is provided with a similar square pieceor nut. In the outer post or standard a is a series of holes, as shownin Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. Through any one of these holes afastening-bolt, a, is thrust, having a head upon its inner end, and ascrew-thread upon its outer end, to which a screw-nut is attachedoutside of the post. The bolt is passed between two teeth of the outerpinion, through one of the holes in the post, and held in position by 1the nut on its outer end, which is turned up firmly against the post,thus holding the frame securely in any position to which it may beadjusted.

The grain-wheel G is mounted upon a stubaxle on a slide, 0, running in agrooved and slotted plate, 0, on the grain end of the main frame. Theslide is held in place in the ordinary way by a nut, c, on a boltrunning through the slide, and moving in a slot in the holding-plate. Asecond plate, D, is attached to the frame either in front or rear of thegrain-wheel support. This plate is provided with two or more studs orprojections, d, which serve either as a fulcrum or support for a leverused in raising and lowering this end of the main frame, as will behereinafter set forth inthe description of the operation of myimprovements.

The reel-shaft E is mounted in a sliding journal-box, F, on the forwardend of a bar,

G, which is pivoted at its rear end to the upright portion of the mainframe of the ma chine. A sprocket-wheel, e, is fixed upon thereel-shaft, over which runs a drive-chain, 0, extending backward, andpassing over a second sprocket-wheel, h, on the end of the driving-shaftH, which also answers as the pivotal bearing of the reel-support G. Arod, f, is hooked to the sliding journal-box F, and fastened at its rearend to a lever, I, pivoted to the reel-support G. This rod f is threadedat its rear end, and passes through a threaded nut, i, on the lever, sothat the rod may be unhooked and adjusted to regulate the distancebetween the lever l and journal-box F. The drive-chain e passes aroundtwo pulleys, i, on the lever I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings, one of the pulleys being arranged on a line with the pivot ofthe lever, and the other near the upper end of the latter.

A second lever, g, is pivoted to the upright portion of the main frame,and connected by a link, g, at its forward end to the pivotedreel-supporting arm G. It is evident, therefore, that by vibrating thelever g the supporting-arm G and reel-shaft will be raised and lowered,and by moving the lever I back and forth the sliding journal will becorrespondingly moved, thus adjusting the reel horizontally.

The arrangement of the pulleys upon the lever I is such that theyoperate as an equalizing device to compensate for the variation in thedistance between the reel-shaft and the driving-shaft H, while theadjustability of the connecting-rod f permits such an adjustment of therelation between the lever I and reelshaft as to compensate for anystretching of the chain, or any change in its length or by any othermeans, so that the chain may be always kept taut. The levers I and g areheld in any desired position by suitable notched racks or segments.

In addition to the ordinary grain-divider J, I also employ a rotatingshaft or drum, K, which is mounted, in any suitable manner, at the grainend of the machine, and is provided with a driving-pulley, k, by meansof which it is revolved. This shaft or drum may be of any suitable form,and its surface may be fluted, if desired. It should be caused torevolve inward toward the machine, so as to deflect the cut grain thatfalls upon it toward the conveyer, and may be driven from the conveyer,or in any other suitable manner.

The grain-platform L is provided with Iongitudinal slots l, as clearlyshown in the drawings. In each of these slots runs a sprocketchain, M,to which are attached carrying-slats m, which pass above the platform L.At each end of the platform is a shaft, N, upon which are mountedsprocket-wheels a, over which pass the conveyer-chains M, the shaftsbeing driven in any ordinary way from the main driving-gear of themachine. By this arrangement the conveyer is made to run evenly, themovement of the chain being regular and positive.

The chain at the front of the grain-platform is provided withprojections m, at suitable distances apart, which serve to force thebutts of the cut grain forward, and prevent them from falling behind, asis the case with nothing but a plain conveyer.

The drivers seat is mounted upon the main frame of the machine in such aposition that the levers l and g may be conveniently reached therefrom.

, The operation of my improvement is as follows: To adjust the frameupon the maid wheel, the nut on the fastening-bolt is first removed, andthe square shank of the pinion grasped by a suitable wrench, so that itmay be held in place by the attendant, and the bolt taken out. The framemay then be raised or lowered by turning the pinions with the wrench;or, if the square shanks on both the pinion and hub of the wheel aregrasped at once with the wrench, the wheel becomes locked to the axle,and by turning the wheel the pinions are also rotated, and the framemoved accordingly. When adjusted to the desired height, the frame issecured in position by replacing the fastening-bolt in one of the holesof the standard. In order to adjust the height of the other end of theframe, when the plate D is placed in rear of the axle of thegrain-wheel, the front end of a suitable lever is placed on the upperside of the wheel hub or axle, and the lever is then carried under oneof the projections on the plate. The lockin g-nut of the slide is thenloosened, when the frame can be raised or lowered by means of the lever,and again secured at any point desired by turning up the locking-nutagain. This adjustment can be effected by a single attendant.

The operation of the remaining devices has been set forth fully in thepreceding description.

The following are some of the advantages attending the employment ofthese devices: The reel is under the easy control of the driver, so thatit may be adjusted both vertically and horizontally without stopping themachine, while at the same time the drivingchain is kept taut, and maybe tightened by the adjusting-rod whenever it becomes necessary.

In my construction of platforms and conveyer I secure the advantages ofthe cheapness of plain slats, and the positive motion of the conveyerdue to the use of sprocket-wheels and chains. At the same time theweight of the chains causes the slats to hug the surface of theplatform, thus insuring a clean sweep of the grain from the latter, andthe projections on the front chain carry the butts forward evenly withthe rest of the out grain.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the main frame, cogged standard at, having aseries of holes, main axle b, pinion b, and fastening-bolt a, insertedlaterally into the free space between two cogs of the pinion b,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the main wheel B, constructed with a square shankor nut on one end of the hub, the main axle b and the pinion I), havinga similar shank or nut on its inner face, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

3. The combination of the sliding journalbox F, connecting-rod f, leverI, sprocketwheels 6 and n, driven chain 6, and pulleys 'i 6, both on thelever I, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the sliding box F,

sprocket-wheels n on shafts N, all arranged, so that the chains run inthe slots of the platform, and the slats are carried above the uppersurface of the latter, substantially as deconnecting-rod f, having ascrew-thread at scribed.

one end, lever I, and threaded nut 43 on said lever, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the slotted platform L, sprocket-chains M, plainslats m, and

JOHN WERNER, JR.

Witnesses EDWARD OERTEL, THOMAS BAKER.

